Description

Science in the Media

There is nothing like reading a good book or watching a great movie for a little escapism

and entertainment. With all of the television channels available and easy access to the

internet, you can watch just about anything you want at any time. Earlier in the course

you discussed the science involved with technology, but in this Assignment, you will turn

the tables and delve into how the media portrays science.

How does a pop culture portrayal of science and scientists impact the average person’s

view of what science is and how research is conducted? Can what is presented by the

media affect how the general populace views a particular research field? What might

the long-term impacts of such a depiction be? These are just a few questions that you

will reflect upon in this Assignment.

For the Unit 9 Assignment, you will complete a reflective essay to address the following

questions:

1. When you hear the word “scientist” what do you envision?

1. Discuss at least three characteristics of your vision of a scientist.

2. Which famous people or characters from the media come into your

mind?

3. What characteristics do they have in common?

2. Has your image of what a scientist does and how they look changed over

time? If so, how has this changed and what influenced you?

3. Are fictional scientists usually the heroes, villains, or a combination of the

two? Provide at least two detailed examples to support your position.

4. How is science portrayed in fictional media (i.e., television shows, movies,

music, books, etc.)? Is it seen as a positive, negative, or neutral force in the

world? Give specific examples supporting your position.

5. Do you think the portrayal of scientists in the various forms of media

influences how society views people in this profession? Why, or why not?

6. Can the portrayal of science in media influence how certain research and

technology is viewed and accepted by the general public (e.g., cloning)?

Read this resource from the KU Writing Center on how to write a reflective essay:

You are expected to use outside resources for this essay. Cite outside sources in

proper APA format. You can find numerous APA resources in the KU Writing Center

Writing Reference Library on the Research, Citation, and Plagiarism page.

Your essay should include a highly-developed purpose and viewpoint; it should also be

written in Standard American English and demonstrate exceptional content,

organization, style, grammar, and mechanics. There should be no evidence of

plagiarism. If you are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism, please review the KU

plagiarism policy.

Basic Writing Expectations:

1. A minimum of 1,500 words not including the title or reference pages.

2. At least three reliable academic resources utilized.

3. Per APA include a title page, double space, font size 10 or 12.

4. Include a highly-developed viewpoint/thesis, purpose, and exceptional

content.

5. Demonstrate superior organization: use logic.

6. Free of grammar and spelling errors.

7. No evidence of plagiarism. Note: no more than 10% of your paper should

be direct quotes.

8. Use APA style for all in-text citations, references, and body of paper.